The ballpark will not only be the Skeeters' home, but also a multipurpose venue for football, soccer, lacrosse, cheerleading, concerts, band competitions weddings and meetings.

Search for a manager

O'Brien said team officials have been searching for a manager for the past six months.

Up to a dozen candidates are being interviewed.

"These candidates all have professional experience managing or coaching baseball at a high level. The majority of them have connection to Texas," he said. "A manager has to be an excellent leader on the baseball field, represent the team well and be an ambassador for the team to the community."

Once a manager has been hired - which O'Brien said will happen by the fall and perhaps earlier - the focus will turn to recruiting players.

Christopher Hill, Skeeters' vice president for business development, said the team is looking to recruit up to 50 players, including former major leaguers and veterans of Triple A minor league teams.

What exactly is mascot?

A preliminary mascot concept has been developed by Newark, Del.-based Raymond Entertainment Group, which includes dual images of contrasting characters in bright colors that "kids can have fun with," said Hill.

"They are more like twins but with opposite personalities, one good and the other mischievous," he said. "They have a head, body, two arms, two legs and a very large nose. They have some resemblance to a mosquito, but they are not mosquitoes."

The club also plans to release comic books about the mascots for young spectators, he said.

Season ticket sales have been brisk, O'Brien said, noting nearly 2,000 have been sold. Season tickets are $575, which averages out to about $8 a game for the 70 home games.

The club is beginning to sell premium season tickets for about $37 per game, which includes a buffet and access to an air-conditioned exclusive club area at the private skybox level, he said.

Sponsors sought

The club also has been wooing business sponsors who will be advertised on billboards, printed programs and around the ballpark.

"We're looking at a blend of big and small companies as well as local businesses," O'Brien said.

Among the Fort Bend County-area companies, Arrow Plumbing out of Sugar Land recently signed up for advertising on outfield signs and printed materials such as tickets.

In addition, Stafford-based Texas Custom Patios also will be advertised on field walls and tickets, he said.

Meanwhile, the club has been contacting organizations to book space at the ballpark for activities such as concerts, boxing, soccer and cricket matches, college baseball camps and clinics, charity events and church group Easter activities, O'Brien said.

In June, the club contracted with Legends Hospitality Management out of Neward, N.J., for concession management for 10 years.

The Skeeters will become the first team in a planned western division of the Atlantic League.

"To have more expansion teams is our long-term plan," said O'Brien. "We'll start with the Sugar Land team as a model for other areas to grow the Atlantic League's footprint."